14th August 2022

Welcome, and in this heat you are more than welcome having made the effort to come. There are shady places throughout the Garden and with fewer visitors this is the time to linger, take a seat and absorb the peace of this centuries old space. We know the Romans were here and the Moat was dug in the 12^th century- whose footsteps are you following in?

The Vegetable Garden is productive and at the moment we are watering where necessary.  Peas and Broad Beans have finished but we have planted a second crop of our lovely Mummies Pea. Surprisingly the strawberries are flowering again- we shall see. Courgettes, Spinach, Runner Beans and Chard are all doing well and we have started to pick the Figs, stoned fruits and apples.

The grass has long since lost its colour and the fir trees have dropped their cones but certain plants, such as the Oleander in pots on the West Lawn, are loving this heat. Roses are having their second flowering and are constantly dead headed. However, the lovely cream rose climbing on the West wing of the Hall is Leverkusen which is flowering beautifully despite never being dead-headed ?

The warm weather has caused the Blanket Weed in the Moat to flourish. The Moat is fed by springs and the stream but the water level is down and even parts of the Bog Garden are dry. The Cygnets feed off the weed which is a positive and they have begun to practice take offs which is encouraging as we seem to still have all 7.

On the East Lawn please don’t walk along the edge of the Moat. We don’t like to put in fences but the Autumn Crocus are just appearing in this grass there and are very difficult to spot. Known as naked ladies the flower heads appear before the foliage so a little purple point will be the first sign of them.

Stay healthy and good gardening

Lynda Tucker